These compositions and arrangements were selected from my first two recordings, Skypiece on Roustabout Records, and A Peculiar Point of Balance on North Star Records. All of these tunes (except The Dilettante Sidestep) were written or arranged with the 12 string guitar in mind. Most of these tunes to varying degrees utilize the upper octave strings of the 12-string within the melody line. Although nothing beats the 12-string for the "wall of sound/in your face" power guitar style, the instrument can also be an extremely versatile melodic instrument. In my mind, there seems to be no limit to the melodic and textural possibilities of the 12-string guitar. Hopefully these recordings will give you an idea of why I believe the 12-string guitar is such an exciting instrument.
Enjoy!
I Love My Attitude Problem: It’s all in the attitude and we get to choose our attitude. Written in a moment of crankiness.
Tom Bombadil: One of my first compositions. The musician in the Tolkien Trilogy.
Clam Chowder: Another early one. C open tuning.
Mumbles The Cat: In G tuning with a C in the bass, but the key centers on F. A fun compositional challenge for fingerstyle guitarists who use open tunings: Write a tune in a different key center than the "home" key of your tuning.
Highland Drive: The notes "breathe" nicely on this tune. Best played on a guitar you are very close to. A Clarification of the notes in the CD : The tuning is G with a C in the bass and the 1st course, with a capo across the 5 highest courses of the 12 string. The lowest bass string course remains open. On the coda, I fret a note with my left hand thumb behind the capo (with the hand above the fingerboard) while stretching my pinkie over the capo for a note. Thumb stops - familiar territory for a 'cello player.
A Peculiar Point of Balance: In the studio we decided to rearrange the sections of this composition. The resulting recording is a tune much different than what I had envisioned when I arrived at the studio in the morning! Extensive use of the upper octave strings in the melodic runs.
Too Many Questions: Written when I was in a confused and introspective state before making an important life decision. I like how this tune makes use of the space between the notes. I let the notes of the guitar resonate and wash over each other.
Skypiece: A slippery slide composition; I imagine this tune being played with the volume turned up to eleven. This piece is the first tune I wrote with the DGDGBC tuning. Note the 1/2 step between the highest two pair of strings.
Prelude - Brand New Sneakers: A fun tune to play. Harmonics and melody notes intermingled within the upper octave courses of the 12 string.
The Dilettante Sidestep: The lone 6 string recording on this recording. Artis The Spoonman on wooden spoons; you may have seen Artis in the Soundgarden video, Spoonman.
Bob Takes His Truck to the Dump: A Spring cleaning type of tune, with a little rhythmic twist in the "A" section. This idea was inspired by repeated listenings to Led Zeppelin III, where they first started dropping eighth notes at the end of a four bar phrase of music.
Days at Sea: Written by Matthew Horton, another 12 string guitar enthusiast from the Northwest.
McSharry’s Jig: C open tuning, key of F and modulating to C for the bridge. This tune makes extensive use of the upper octave strings within the melody lines.
Swanee River Boogie: 12 String on adrenaline. This arrangement came about after listening to boogie-woogie piano recordings. Meade Lux Lewis recorded this tune and I attempted to see if I could pull it off on the 12 string. I think it works! Recorded in concert. A slower studio version was recorded on my first release, Skypiece.